Sarah Pochobradsky English Holocaust Found Poem Fear, Struggle
Stories We didn’t believe them We didn’t hide We were far away from it It’ll blow over Naïve
Deportation Broke down the door Filled cattle cars Hunted animals, twenty-four hours a day Nowhere we had to hide This is the end
Why are they taking us? Where are we going? Nobody answers What’s going on? Frightened Where is god?
Mass graves, fire pits, gas chambers Shooting, swastika, screams They couldn’t stop More gunshots, they never anymore screamed Hunger This was hell
Man against man Family no long exist Hated, Murdered So-called friends Turn over night Unbelievable
We knew everything It’s up to man Strength, Soul So close to death Don’t give up Together we will survive
Rationale I chose fear and survival as themes for my found poem because during the Holocaust there was a constant fear and a struggle for survival. The poem begins when many didn’t yet believe the stories of the horrors that were occurring. Then at the end they knew everything and they knew it first-hand. They knew about the mass killings and the gas chambers. For my first theme I chose fear. I feel that fear was a huge part of the Holocaust. Those who were experiencing it were afraid of what the day would bring, if they were on the run they were afraid of getting caught, and those who saw it happening were afraid to help because it would bring them trouble for them. Everyday Jewish people were in danger of being killed, the only reason for it being their religion and that is frightening. The second theme I chose was struggle. This is because life in concentration camps, or on the run was a struggle. The struggle to find food, to keep your faith and to stay alive. Even after it was a struggle to cope with the fact that many of their friends and family members had been killed. I wanted all the stanzas to have six lines and have words that were all connected in some way. I also put certain lines together because I wanted the poem to have good flow. I separated lines to put more emphasis on each line. The Holocaust is a horrible event in world history, it’s unbelievable that a group of people could be so hated just because they have a different belief.
English Holocaust Found Poem
Fear, Struggle
Stories
We didn’t believe them
We didn’t hide
We were far away from it
It’ll blow over
Naïve
Deportation
Broke down the door
Filled cattle cars
Hunted animals, twenty-four hours a day
Nowhere we had to hide
This is the end
Why are they taking us?
Where are we going?
Nobody answers
What’s going on?
Frightened
Where is god?
Mass graves, fire pits, gas chambers
Shooting, swastika, screams
They couldn’t stop
More gunshots, they never anymore screamed
Hunger
This was hell
Man against man
Family no long exist
Hated, Murdered
So-called friends
Turn over night
Unbelievable
We knew everything
It’s up to man
Strength, Soul
So close to death
Don’t give up
Together we will survive
Rationale
I chose fear and survival as themes for my found poem because during the Holocaust there was a constant fear and a struggle for survival. The poem begins when many didn’t yet believe the stories of the horrors that were occurring. Then at the end they knew everything and they knew it first-hand. They knew about the mass killings and the gas chambers. For my first theme I chose fear. I feel that fear was a huge part of the Holocaust. Those who were experiencing it were afraid of what the day would bring, if they were on the run they were afraid of getting caught, and those who saw it happening were afraid to help because it would bring them trouble for them. Everyday Jewish people were in danger of being killed, the only reason for it being their religion and that is frightening. The second theme I chose was struggle. This is because life in concentration camps, or on the run was a struggle. The struggle to find food, to keep your faith and to stay alive. Even after it was a struggle to cope with the fact that many of their friends and family members had been killed. I wanted all the stanzas to have six lines and have words that were all connected in some way. I also put certain lines together because I wanted the poem to have good flow. I separated lines to put more emphasis on each line. The Holocaust is a horrible event in world history, it’s unbelievable that a group of people could be so hated just because they have a different belief.